Pashtana Durrani is an Afghan human rights activist and community development expert focusing on female education. She's the founder of LEARN Afghan, a grassroots organization established to safely and securely educate girls through a distributed network of tablets using an offline platform.  One of the reasons Pashtana's platform is designed to work offline is that Afghanistan has a limited amount of electricity. Offline learning is essential if you're in a mountainous region and lack consistent electricity and internet access.  Through Pashtana's program, a student can download and ..read more

Dr. Corey Yeager is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) primarily serving the African American community. His new book, How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself, focuses on the importance of checking in on yourself and guides readers through the process of self care. In this episode of Motivational Mondays, Dr. Yeager discusses the struggles the African American community is up against, especially when it comes to breaking away from ancestral trauma. LEARN MORE: >> Read Dr. Yeager’s book, How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself (https ..read more

Kyleigh Leddy is a Boston College graduate with her master’s in social work from Columbia University. In 2019, she took a writing class for enjoyment while studying clinical psychology and won The New York Times Modern Love College Essay Contest after writing about grieving her sister. Her essay caught the eye of multiple publishers who took an interest in her story. After signing a book deal, she was initially concerned about her family situation becoming public, but she knew that her sister’s story needed to be told. Her book is entitled, “The Perfect Other: A Memoir of My Sister.” (https ..read more

Darleen “Coach Dar” Santore is a licensed and board-certified occupational therapist. She’s also the former Phoenix Suns mental-skills coach, and a leadership and mental-edge coach to athletes and business leaders worldwide. Her highly-anticipated book, The Art of Bouncing Back: Find Your Flow to Thrive at Work and in Life - Anytime You’re off your Game was recently released. In the book, she shares her techniques with the world. (https://www.coachdar.com/bouncing-back-book) In the past, Coach Dar was asked to elaborate on how she helps others. After saying it was her natural gift and receivin ..read more

Magalie René is a confidence and compassion expert, executive coach, CEO of Workplace Catalyst, and host of The “C” Word. She empowers organizations, executives, and entrepreneurs to become compassionate leaders who are emotionally intelligent.  Sometimes the smallest act of compassion is life-changing. How we engage in the world can make all the difference. The best part is that we get to choose to walk in compassion.  Magalie emphasizes that everyone is a leader but we have to choose what type of leader we will be. How will you lead? Listen to this episode to learn about emotional ..read more

Richard Fowler is a TV commentator, radio host, and millennial messaging expert at the Fox News Channel. He is also a First-Generation American who is both gay and Black. He passionately believes sharing stories that cross the political divide can unite humanity through shared lived experiences.  Richard shares why our voices can be powerful tools in this episode of Motivational Mondays.  LEARN MORE: >> Connect with Richard Fowler on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (https://www.instagram.com/richardafowler), (https://www.facebook.com/FowlerShow), (https://t ..read more

Joshua Canter is the founder of True Nature, an experiential travel company that purchased its first property in Costa Rica in 2003. With a mission to use travel as a tool to connect people, Joshua took a contemplative approach to the project.  In 2004, he led a college course on sustainable community development. His courses soon expanded to teach environmental sustainability, yoga, meditation, communication, and more. True Nature’s mission is to be transformative, allowing travelers to experience the world through their own lens with open hearts, open minds, and a genuine interest in co ..read more

Philip (Phil) Wilkerson is an Employer Engagement Consultant at GMU Career Services. He serves as a liaison between employers and the GMU community to help the school match students with well-aligned internships and job opportunities. Phil grew up in Northern Virginia and graduated from James Madison University. Some educators went above and beyond to support him with career preparation (like crafting resumes, cover letters, and landing internships).  When Phil started working at George Mason University (GMU), supporting Black students happened organically. In this episode of Motivational ..read more

Chef Guy Vaknin is a world-renowned chef, celebrated for his distinctive plant-based creations. He and his wife developed a signature vegan brand, Beyond Sushi.  Since then, they’ve opened multiple restaurants and launched a successful catering company. Guy believes you can start from nothing and achieve your dreams because he’s done it and learned by trial and error.  He put in the work and learned as he went, aiming for attainable goals and steadily leveling up. It takes time and patience to build a business but as long as you keep trying, failing, and NOT quitting, you’ll make it ..read more

Ryan Leak inspires over 50,000 people monthly. He’s the author of the USA Today best-selling book, Chasing Failure: How Falling Short Sets You Up for Success. His most recent book, Leveling Up: 12 Questions to Elevate Your Personal And Professional Development, is a Wall Street Journal bestseller. (https://amzn.to/3yu081m), (https://amzn.to/420nYzt) Regarding your future success, Ryan believes you owe it to yourself to take things to the next level. He noticed that some people thrive when others survive, and those who succeed have a different mindset. They didn’t wait for someone else to save ..read more